Nexus 5 vs. Galaxy S4: Google offers Samsung some real competition

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Google casually slid the Nexus 5 onto the virtual shelves of the Google Play store yesterday. Since months of rumors and speculation can finally be put to rest, it’s time to see how the Nexus 5 compares to the other top phones on the market — like the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Before we dive in, it’s worth pointing out that the S4 went on sale six months ago. That’s like half a generation for a smartphone in 2013, but the S4 is still one of the flagship phones on most major carriers.

Dimensions and Weight

How do the Nexus 5 and Galaxy S4 measure up physically? Both are very light… and they actually weigh exactly the same amount: 130 grams. They’re also nearly identical in length and width: though the Nexus 5 is 1.2mm taller, but it’s .6mm narrower.

And the all-important thickness? The GS4 beats the Nexus 5 by just over half a millimeter. There really wasn’t a need for Google and LG to whip up something thinner and lighter, though. Most folks won’t even notice the difference because they’ll be staring at the Nexus 5’s $349 price tag.

They might also agree with reviewers, many of whom think that the Nexus 5 is the most comfortable 5-inch phone to hold, and feel plays an important role in the decision-making process.

Processor, RAM, and Storage

The Nexus 5 has the edge when it comes to processing power, and you’d expect that since it’s being released a half year after the GS4. The Nexus 5’s quad-core Snapdragon 800 is clocked at 2.3GHz — a fairly substantial jump from the GS4’s 1.9GHz chip.

There’s also a bit more graphical muscle inside the Nexus 5. It’s got an Adreno 330 GPU, which is capable of outputting 4K video — and Qualcomm says it offers twice the computing performance of the Adreno 320 (the GPU in the Galaxy S4). Early benchmarks have pegged the Nexus 5 as the best Android gaming device on the market.

Internal storage options are the same in the two phones. You can buy the Nexus 5 with either 16 or 32GB, and the extra capacity will still set you back an extra $50. Samsung, of course, also lets you pop in a micro SD card if you need more room. And although it had been rumored that the Nexus 5 would launch with 3GB of RAM, it’s actually got 2GB just like the GS4.

Display and Cameras

The Nexus 5’s screen doesn’t quite measure five inches like the Galaxy S4 — it’s actually 4.95 inches. It is, however, a full 1080p display like the GS4. It’s also covered by a protective slab of Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3, just like the GS4.

The Nexus 5 uses the same IPS panel as the LG G2, however, and it’s been widely praised for being one of the best mobile displays money can buy. The Nexus 5 is slightly smaller, too, so an already good screen has gotten slightly sharper and just a smidgen better — which gives the Nexus 5 an edge over the GS4 when it comes to visuals.

Samsung wins the camera megapixel battle (with 2MP up front and 13MP on the back), but that’s not a battle everyone is fighting any more. The Nexus 5’s 8MP rear shooter will still capture high quality images, and it’s got optical image stabilization tech built in to steady your pics.

Early reviews, however, say that the Nexus 5 camera isn’t exactly a stand-out. Again, for $349, that probably won’t be a huge deterrent.

Software

What really attracts Android fans to the Nexus 5 — or any Nexus device, really — is the software. You’re getting Google’s latest on the Nexus 5, Android 4.4 KitKat in all its unmodified glory. You’re also going to be at the front of the line for future updates, since there’s no carrier testing standing between you and the new firmware.

There are folks who enjoy the TouchWiz experience, and Samsung does offer some nice tweaks like multi-window mode. Many of its factory-installed apps, however, feel an awful lot like bloatware. If you just want a uncluttered phone that offers pure Android with nothing but Google’s stock apps, the extra software on the Galaxy S4 will be a real turn-off.